Need advice regarding fitness/weight loss

lbpark · #1 06-06-2011, 12:51 PM

After deciding to put music as a profession behind me, I'm heading to law school this fall. I've read that being healthy and active helps with concentration and energy, and I could lose about 35-40 pounds.

I've been exercising on my elliptical machine at home (knee problems). For the first 3 weeks, I was exercising about 30 minutes, then bumped decided to go for 40 minutes. It's been about 5 weeks. I don't know what my starting weight was but I believe I've lost about 15 pounds or so. The read-out on my machine is broken but I used a machine in a gym for a bit that told me I was burning around 500 calories with the 30 minute workout. I don't know if that's at all accurate but it makes me feel better about myself.

As far as diet, I've cut out carbonated beverages and processed sugar of all types. I don't eat candy or fast food. Hell, I don't even eat out that much anymore. I average a bowl of cereal for breakfast, and an appropriate portion of meat, veggies, and starch for dinner, sometimes lunch. Pretty much a chicken breast, veggies, and a palm-sized portion of rice/potatoes. I know I'm ingesting less than 2000 calories a day. Probably less than 1500.

My problem is that I've hit my plateau and I need help getting over it. My father always taught me that pairing good hearty exercise with diet was the key to overcoming a plateau. I've intensified my exercise, but I've only lost .2 pounds in the last week and it's very frustrating. I'm not about to give it up, but I'd like some advice to see what my next step should be.

CrispyDelicious · #2 06-06-2011, 01:00 PM

Eat at maintenance for a week, recalculate your BMR...? You might be eating too little. <1500 calories/day is very little for an adult male, unless you're like, 5'4" and 135#.

You've only been doing this for a few weeks. You likely lost a lot of water weight, and now genuine fat loss is moving a lot slower.

And also, don't look at it from week to week. You body weight can fluctuate a lot over the course of a few days. Heck, last night I weighed in at 197 and this morning I was 195. Evaluate it on a monthly basis. Weeks are not a good timeframe to guage weightloss. It took you a while to get fat; it's going to take a while to lose it.

HEIST · #3 06-06-2011, 01:02 PM

I overheard from a trainer the other day saying that he always signs up for a really intense two week or longer bootcamp to get over his plateaus. According to him, by going at it at a crazy intensity for a bit will jump start your progress again. Or you can try something like kickboxing (or anything new that contains movements that are not done during your regular workouts).

iamlowsound · #4 06-06-2011, 01:10 PM

Start something like Rushfit or P90X and you will drop more weight.

lowsound

Kawai-chang · #5 06-06-2011, 01:19 PM

Break up the meals to 5 per day. Flip exercise time. (If you work out at night, go in the morning, etc.) Be patient.

CrispyDelicious · #6 06-06-2011, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kawai-chang

Break up the meals to 5 per day.

Wat. This is not necessary. Look up intermittent fasting.

OP, frankly, 5 weeks is not a long time. Do yourself a favor and calculate your daily calorie requirements so you take the guesswork out of it.

waleross · #7 06-06-2011, 01:38 PM

+1 to what everybody said and maybe take up the drums.....

guroove · #8 06-06-2011, 01:38 PM

It sounds to me like you're not eating enough.

lbpark · #9 06-06-2011, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

Do yourself a favor and calculate your daily calorie requirements so you take the guesswork out of it.

How do you do that? I didn't think it was possible to calculate how many calories your body requires daily, since everyone's metabolism is different and all.

dbhokie · #10 06-06-2011, 01:50 PM

Eat smaller portions 6 times a day. I have lost 40 lbs so far, and it helped me tremendously with a plateau I hit. It keeps your metabolism going.

Example:

This morning I had some lowfat yogurt and fruit
at 10 I had a Kashi Go Lean Bar
at 12 I had a turkey breast sandwich with veggies on whole wheat (no mayo)
at 3 I had some fruit
at 6 I plan on eating some turkey spaghetti with whole grain noodles
at 8 before I wind down for bed I will have either another Kashi Go Lean Bar or half of a whole grain bagel

CrispyDelicious · #11 06-06-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbpark

How do you do that? I didn't think it was possible to calculate how many calories your body requires daily, since everyone's metabolism is different and all.

Calculating Calorie Needs and Macronutrients - Bodybuilding.com Forums

Read ^^^

Also, don't listen to people telling you "several small meals per day". Meal timing and frequency are irrelevant. What does matter is knowing your daily calorie requirements and eating a reasonable amount underneath them. Exercise isn't even necessary; just eat less than your body needs to maintain its current weight.

Of course, exercise has numerous other benefits besides helping you lose weight, so I suggest you keep it up

powderfinger · #12 06-06-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbpark

My problem is that I've hit my plateau and I need help getting over it. My father always taught me that pairing good hearty exercise with diet was the key to overcoming a plateau. I've intensified my exercise, but I've only lost .2 pounds in the last week and it's very frustrating. I'm not about to give it up, but I'd like some advice to see what my next step should be.

Well, at a certain point, you are definitely going to hit this plateua. Now, I am no expert, but as someone who is a fitness enthusiast and health concious, I have found, changing up your routine helps these plateaus.

Try hitting the lap pool. Maybe try mountain or road biking? Try something ELSE. This way you will be working new muscles, and challenging yourself in new ways. Cant' hurt.

powderfinger · #13 06-06-2011, 02:05 PM

BTW- its so nice to see that other musicians are health concious like you guys. Most of my ex bandmates are McDonalds eating, beer drinking, cigarette smoking, potential heart attack candidates.

dbhokie · #14 06-07-2011, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

Calculating Calorie Needs and Macronutrients - Bodybuilding.com Forums

Read ^^^

Also, don't listen to people telling you "several small meals per day". Meal timing and frequency are irrelevant. What does matter is knowing your daily calorie requirements and eating a reasonable amount underneath them. Exercise isn't even necessary; just eat less than your body needs to maintain its current weight.

Of course, exercise has numerous other benefits besides helping you lose weight, so I suggest you keep it up

Also don't listen to people telling you not to eat many small meals a day. From experience it works quite well. They just wish to be contrary and pompous.

toddLURR · #15 06-07-2011, 06:33 AM

My father was tipping the scale at 380, and went down to a 34 waist in 9 months.

He didn't eat breakfast or lunch, only dinner, which consisted of..

Two chicken breasts (Not Fried)
Two baked potatoes
Vegtables with melted cheese

he only drank Gatoraid, water, and diet coke

but he ate this every day for 9 months

try it out

Hope it helps

CrispyDelicious · #16 06-07-2011, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbhokie

Also don't listen to people telling you not to eat many small meals a day. From experience it works quite well. They just wish to be contrary and pompous.

The idea that several small meals over the course of the day is superior to eating a couple large ones has been debunked; it has nothing to do with being contrary. The OP asked a question and a lot of people started chiming in with outdated broscience. Your experience is anecdotal and based on a single individual, whereas calorie counting and adjustments based on your BMR work for everybody. This is not being pompous, it is acknowledging what works for everybody.

Meal Frequency and Energy Balance | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

allexcosta · #17 06-07-2011, 08:04 AM

Add some weight training to the equation, muscle consumes a lot of calories and will help you losing fat.

Do a high-carb day every two weeks to confuse your metabolism, a good pasta with some ice cream will do the trick.

Concentrate on fat % instead of total body weight.

You're in the right track.

dogbluedrummer · #18 06-07-2011, 08:24 AM

You need data. You don't really know how many calories you're burning with exercise, don't know how many calories you are consuming, and don't know how many pounds you've lost, and you don't have a specific and time bound goal.

TJ55 · #19 06-07-2011, 08:37 AM

A great database for tracking calorie intake over a long period of time is at livestrong.com. Look up The Daily Plate and register your account. It is free and very helpful. You don't necessarily have to track forever but if you will be vigilant about it for a month or two you will have a very good idea what equals what.

dbhokie · #20 06-07-2011, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

The idea that several small meals over the course of the day is superior to eating a couple large ones has been debunked; it has nothing to do with being contrary. The OP asked a question and a lot of people started chiming in with outdated broscience. Your experience is anecdotal and based on a single individual, whereas calorie counting and adjustments based on your BMR work for everybody. This is not being pompous, it is acknowledging what works for everybody.

Meal Frequency and Energy Balance | BodyRecomposition - The Home of Lyle McDonald

You know I can google too and post 10 sites that state it the other way around, but there is no point.

It worked for me helping get me through a plateau, there is no debunking to it. I stick to what works in practical experience.

With weight loss, fads are out there everywhere, I eat low calorie, I exercise and I eat multiple times a day. It works quite well, my weight loss was more effective after I started eating with more frequency, you can scream all you want, it happened. Still is happening. Not to mention it helps to curb over-eating after extended periods of not eating. I managed to also reduce my overall caloric intake by eating more often.

Discipline is all it takes in the end.